Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) Certification

Overview

In This Case Study You Will Learn

1. The primary services provided by IMAP drivers include the detection of incidents, removal of vehicles and debris from travel lanes, deployment of emergency traffic control, and assistance of stranded motorists.
2. The certification program currently certifies all drivers and is being expanded to include certification for supervisor levels.
3. The training program was built to address key challenges that were limiting the maturity of the IMAP Program.

Background

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) provides a safety service patrol through the Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) Program that covers more than 850 miles of freeways across the state. The IMAP Program began in 1991 and currently operates in eight of the fourteen Divisions. The development of the IMAP certification program began in 2010 and is continually evaluated and expanded as roles change and the program grows. In 2017, over 9,000 stops were completed by IMAP drivers. The primary services provided by IMAP drivers include the detection of incidents, removal of vehicles and debris from travel lanes, deployment of emergency traffic control, and assistance of stranded motorists.

TSMO Planning, Strategies, and Deployment

In an effort to grow the maturity of the IMAP Program, a training and certification program has been implemented. The program currently certifies all drivers and is being expanded to include certification for supervisor levels. These drivers are being asked to perform independently in live traffic and perform critical decision making in emergency situations. The training involves a range of content provided in four different settings: classroom, traffic incident management training track, TMC Control Room, and live roadway. Prior to the official training program, on‐the‐job training was the only available method for staff development.

Communications Planning and Execution 

The training program is built on a well‐defined path to certification that has been designed for both drivers and supervisors. It includes four to seven weeks of organized training with an observation period prior to the final week for drivers. Each course contains specific components of the materials to guide the personnel through the concepts and application.

• Talking Points – specific guidance, policy, and procedures 
• Discussion Questions – tests trainee’s recall of topics 
• Basic Tasks – provides trainee with hands‐on experience 
• Trial Exercises – allows trainee to practice the complete delivery of an IMAP service or strategy 
• Full Demonstrations – tests trainee’s ability to properly execute a complete IMAP service or strategy 
• Scorecard – used to grade each action that trainees must do to execute the service/strategy properly 

Outcome, Learnings, and Public Benefit 

While developing the training and certification program, stakeholders at the statewide level and in the Divisions identified key challenges that were limiting the maturity of the IMAP Program. Focused solutions to each of these identified challenges are listed below. This comprehensive approach guaranteed that the program would address recognized user needs and better support integration of the training and certification into the overall IMAP Program.